


I Don't Despise You

by ainagren



Category: Poldark (TV 2015)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-01-20 09:43:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12430140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ainagren/pseuds/ainagren
Summary: Modern AU version of Dwight Enys' and Caroline Penvenen's love story. Multi chapter.





	1. Chapter 1

Doctor Dwight Enys was standing in the lobby of a fancy hotel in London, feeling a bit awkward. He never used to be in places like this one, and the only reason he was here now, was because he had promised his best friend Ross to show up for some preliminary hearing regarding some minor charge against him. Dwight wasn’t sure if it was about speed driving or a parking offence, but anyway there was to be some sort of juridical process, and Dwight had agreed to be a witness. He knew what had happened that night, of course – Ross was many things, but secretive wasn’t one of them – and Dwight knew that he liked to think he had rights that sometimes stretched a bit further than the law would agree. None the less, Ross was a very dear friend to him, and since his actions, although sometimes reckless or at least thoughtless, were always driven by compassion and a wish to do the right thing, Dwight found it impossible to blame him for them. On the contrary, they rather increased Dwight’s regard for his friend.

This witnessing thing had been decided on short notice, and that was a problem. There was some big political conference going on in town, as well as a conference for lawyers, and every hotel seemed to be fully booked. Luckily, he had bumped into his friend Francis, who was Ross’ first cousin and also a prominent solicitor, and who happened to have a reservation at this five star hotel – his partaking in the lawyers’ conference had been planned long before the situation with Ross had occurred – and he had promised Dwight that he could share his hotel room if he found no other place to stay. So, here he was, hanging around uncomfortably in the fancy lobby, waiting for Francis, who had just texted him that he was going to be just a little bit later than planned. 

Suddenly, the music in the speakers stopped and a female voice came on:

“Ladies and gentlemen, excuse the interruption, but we have an emergency situation in the hotel and we need a doctor urgently. If there is a medical doctor present in the hotel, please come to the counter.”

Dwight immediately took the few steps up to the counter. 

“I am a medical doctor”, he said. “How can I help?”

“Oh, wonderful”, the lady behind the counter replied and gave him smile of relief. “We had a call from room number 318. It’s the elevator to the right, third floor. I’ll give them a ring, and tell them that you are on your way. Thank you!”

Dwight rushed off towards the elevator, but then decided to take the stairs instead, since it felt like waiting for the elevator might cost crucial seconds for the poor soul in room 318. Taking three steps at a time, he ran up the stairs, and into the corridor, reading the numbers on the doors and quickly finding the right one. He gave a brief knock, then tried the handle, but of course it was locked. There was a second of waiting before the door was opened by a young, blond, very tall and absolutely gorgeous woman. Dwight gave her a short look and said:

“Hello, I’m the doctor. I heard there is an emergency?”

She ushered him in at once.

“Yes, thank you for coming so quickly”, she said.

She hurried over to a large white leather sofa standing in the back of the very luxurious room, and sat down.

“My darling little Horace has had these awful fits”, she said, and Dwight could hear the worry in her voice. “Will you attend to him, ¬please.”

He followed her in, looking eagerly around him to find the poor child lying somewhere, but there was no one else in the room but the young woman. He looked at her again, puzzled, and then he saw that she was petting a fat little pug, who was lying on the white couch with his tongue outside his mouth, panting heavily. He stopped in confusion.

“A dog”, he said, almost in unbelief.

Her face expressed honest anxiety, and she looked up at him again.

This was unbelievable! It was obvious that the young woman was wealthy, and her manners and clothes – she was dressed in tight black trousers and a wide, see-through blouse with a tight top underneath – all were telling of upper-class. All this were things that always made Dwight feel a bit uncomfortable, but right now he was more annoyed, almost a bit angry, to have been called on an emergency for the sake of a dog. What do these people think, he thought to himself.

“You got the wrong man”, he said. “They called out for a doctor, but you should have asked for a vet, obviously.”

Apparently, his remark was not appreciated, as the young woman turned her face to him again.

“I want the best care I can get for my Horace”, she said in a haughty tone. “But if you are not a good doctor, then, perhaps you should leave, and I should call for someone else.”

“Exactly my point”, Dwight murmured, and turned to go back out the door again. 

But before he got out she exclaimed:

“Wait!”

He stopped and looked at her. Something had changed in her voice, she wasn’t as demanding as before, and now he saw real desperation in her eyes.

“Have you never had a dog of you own?”, she asked.

Dwight lifted his eyebrows, surprised by the turn of the conversation.

“Um, yeah, sure I have”, he said.

“Would you let him die on a point of formality?” she asked.

Dwight looked down, then back up at her. Seeing her there was like looking at a beautiful painting, he thought. The room was decorated with lovely flowers, roses of every colour, that stood out nicely against the white coach, where she sat, this extraordinarily stunning girl with her long hair down and in her black outfit. That, and the ugly dog (but weren’t there always dogs in portrait paintings by the way? And why on earth was he thinking about this now?).

He sighed and nodded, and as he returned to the couch she gave him a grateful smile.

Dwight took a chair, placed it in front of the dog, and sat down. He took a firm grip with his hands around the dog’s neck, or where it ought to have been, and let his fingers dig into the flesh to find a pulse. Yes, there it was.

“How old is he?” he asked.

“Twelve months.”

“Fits are not uncommon at that age”, he said.

The woman looked at him eagerly, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

“He will be fine”, he said.

She smiled and exhaled.

He took out his mobile phone, tapped something on it and then showed her the screen.

“Look here”, he said, “buy this – you’ll find it in any in any pet shop– and give it to him according to the instructions on the box.” 

He sat up straight in his chair and said in a strict voice:

“And remember, he needs lots of running and jumping. Dogs do not need to be carried. And don’t give him sweets.”

She petted the dog again, happily, and smiled.

“Thank you”, she said.

As he rose and got to the door she asked: 

“What’s your name?”

* * *

The hearing wasn’t until the next day, so when Francis had arrived and they had checked in, Dwight was free for the rest of the night. Francis had a dinner with the lawyers from the conference, and so Dwight found himself back in the hotel lobby. He wanted to go find a meal of some kind, but he wasn’t sure where to go. 

If Dwight had felt awkward in the lobby the first time, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. Apparently, there was a giant party going on in the hotel. The lobby was crammed with people in very posh clothes, and at the end of the hall, big roll-ups were framing the entrance into a large room, from where he could hear loud music. There were guards at both sides of the doors, checking people’s invitations, and throughout the lobby people were talking, laughing, drinking champagne and giving each other cheek kisses. Dwight knew little, and cared even less, about fashion, but even he could recognise the name of the brand on the roll-ups, a very large, well-known and fashionable company. Tall and beautiful women wearing haute couture were moving around among the other guests, and when he glanced through the doors he caught a glimpse of a catwalk. So, it was going to be a fashion show. Nothing for him, obviously, so he would get out of there as soon as he could manage to push his way through the crowd of well-dressed people that were surrounding him.

Just as he turned around, he found himself face to face with the dog woman, Caroline Penvenen. Here she was again, right in front of him, looking him straight in the eyes and giving him an amused or maybe ironic smile.

“Doctor Enys”, she said. “Are you stalking me?”

She had changed from the black outfit, and was now sporting a very fashionable, sleeveless dress with a high collar (it looked a bit strange to Dwight, but it was obviously very exclusive). Her long, blond hair was pulled together in a strict bun on top of her head, and she wore silver earrings but no necklace. If she had looked tall to Dwight earlier, she seemed even taller now, wearing shoes with high heels. Dwight was tall enough himself, and now they were about the same height. He looked right into her blue eyes, surrounded by a lot more make up now than before, but in them he saw the same peering look as she had given him before he left her room. Something inside of him suddenly shivered, and he felt his cheek blushing slightly.

He smiled and shook his head.

“No, not at all. Actually, I was on my way out, but I got stuck here.”

She nodded and took a look around the room.

“So, you’re not going to the party, then?” she asked, and he shook his head again, feeling his palms grow sweaty.

“No”, he said. “The fashion business is nothing for me.” 

“Too busy attending to the sick, are you?” she asked, still with that peculiar smile that he couldn’t tell the meaning of.

“Well, I …, um, yeah, something like that”, he murmured, secretly bashing himself for being so foolish.

She gave him another glance, then turned around and headed off towards the entrance of the room with the catwalk without another word. 

He followed her with his eyes, which was very easy, because everyone turned their heads after her, or moved to make way for her as she came, and many people wanted to say hello to her and to kiss her cheek. When yet another person was greeting her she turned around, and looked back, and happened to catch Dwight eyes again. When she saw that he was still looking at her, she gave him that smile again. Dwight blushed like a school boy, quickly turned around and headed for the exit.

Dwight hurried down the street with his hands in his pockets. He was feeling as a complete jerk. What was it about this girl – apart from the fact that she was obviously some sort of celebrity, and that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire life – that made him feel so confused? He had never been good with the ladies, had always been a bit too swallowed up by his work, and a little too uninterested in the things that, well, seemed to interest most girls. But he had always had a certain sense of self confidence, at least. He was after all not that bad looking, and he was a good listener. He was the typical guy friend, not as exciting as Ross or as wealthy as Francis or George, but sure he had something to offer a girl? 

He shook his head at himself. Yes, he had something to offer some girl somewhere, but obviously not this particular girl, who already seemed to have everything, including admirers and boyfriends of all sorts. 

He was walking fast, without looking up, completely preoccupied by his thoughts, but as he finally looked up he was standing at the entrance of a burger restaurant. 

“It’s good enough for me”, he thought, and went in.

He chose a seat by the window, and as he dug into his burger, he took out his phone. There could be no harm in googling her name, could it? But his heart sank when he looked at the result. He clicked a few links, checked out some photos, and it was immediately more than clear to him, that she belonged to another world than him. Her family was of very high stature, with a long history and connections way back into the royal family. He found an article about her that said that she had lost her parents when she was only a little girl, and had since then been the protégé of her uncle Raymond Penvenen, who had a large estate at Killewarren. 

Dwight felt his heart pounding. He knew Killewarren very well, of course, since it was close by to the town where he had his practice. However, he had never been the doctor of that family. Dwight was the local medical practitioner for the community, mostly serving the public health programme and receiving the elderly and the working-class patients, whilst the wealthy families turned to the private practitioner, dr Choake. In his spare time, Dwight volunteered at a health centre for the homeless and EU-migrants, where he was scheduled to come once a week, but usually came by much more often than so, since he didn’t have anyone waiting for him at home anyway. 

He kept reading. Caroline Penvenen had been a top model for a few years, but had stopped a couple of years ago in order to pursuit an acting career. It was rumoured that she had an affair with her manager, Unwin Trevaunance, but it was not official. 

She also had profiles of some of the major social media, and Dwight couldn’t stop himself from looking in on her Instagram. Casually, he clicked the “follow” button, and just as he had done so, a new photo was being uploaded. There she was, on the cat walk in the hotel, in that peculiar dress (that actually looked much better on the photo). Without really thinking about it, he let his thumb touch the heart button. His like was the first, and he sniffed a little at the screen as he saw the picture of her, the red heart and then his own name, ’dwenys’. It would soon drown in thousands of other names anyway.

Because it now was completely clear to him, that if any girl was ever out of his league, it was her. There were thousands, no, millions of guys, who, right at this moment, all around the world, were looking at the same pictures of her as he did, thinking the same thing – that it would be wonderful to kiss her. She already had a boyfriend – of course, anything else would have been outrageous! – and he could calmly pack his heart back into its little box again. He smiled sadly at her picture one more time, before he shut down the screen and got up.

He really meant to go for a late-night walk through the streets, but for some reason he headed straight back to the hotel again, telling himself all kinds of lies about why (like, he was too tired for a walk anyway, and he had some reading to catch up on, and he wanted to watch the ten o’clock news, and so on). He got in, and tried not to look too eagerly around the lobby, especially not towards the room where the party was going on. There were less people in the lobby now, at least, which was good. For some odd reason he lingered a little, taking up his phone as if he were checking the time for an appointment, and then strolled up to the counter and asked “Any messages for room 222?” (which made him feel completely ridiculous, especially since the lady behind the desk gave him an amused smile as she answered with a short “no”).

But as he turned around, he was rewarded. She was just coming out from the party, and he couldn’t help smiling widely. She was accompanied by a pale man in a ponytail and a large beard, and he guessed that it must be Unwin. Anyway, he felt confident now, having given up any thoughts of ever getting to know her more closely, so he just nodded in her direction and turned to walk up the stairs.

“Doctor Enys, indeed”, he heard her calling behind him, and he turned around.

“Good party, was it?” he asked.

She wasn’t smiling, as she came straight up to him and looked him in the eyes. 

“What is it with some of you guys?” she said. 

“I’m sorry?” 

“Why do you even bother to follow me if you despise me so much, ‘dwenys’?” she asked bluntly.

Dwight suddenly felt ashamed of his research in the restaurant earlier, and his like of her photo. He shrugged and tried to think of something, anything, to say, but all he came up with was:

“You’re wrong, I don’t despise you.”

She kept looking him in the eyes, and he didn’t quite know what to make of it, so he just nodded again, then he turned around and walked up the stairs.


	2. A Sore Throat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline comes to Dwight's sick room with a sore throat.

Dr Dwight Enys was riding his bike down the street on his way to work. It was a lovely morning, and he was in a good mood. When he came into the town centre and was about to turn from the main road on to the side street where he had his practice, a large black limousine showed up ahead of him, driving in the opposite direction. Dwight had to pull over to the side to let it pass, and he stared at it. In this small town, nobody had such a car, it had probably never been a car like that in this god-forgotten corner of Cornwall ever before. As he stopped to let the car pass by, he couldn’t help but peering curiously through the window to see if he could catch a glimpse of whoever it might be that was coming. The limousine drove rather slowly in the narrow street, but the windows were dark to prevent people from looking in. But when the car came up right beside him, he saw a face on the inside of the darkened glass, of a woman with long, blond hair. His heart took a leap.

The moment passed by, the limo was moving away, and Dwight led his bike the last few metres along the sidewalk up to his practice. His head was spinning. Could it have been …? Well, it certainly looked like her. And who else would have such a car? But what would she be doing here?

There had been a few months since he was in London, and since he had the somewhat awkward and yet pretty wonderful encounter with Caroline Penvenen, top model and actress, and furthermore wealthy heiress as the protégé of Ray Penvenen, who happened to have his estate in the surroundings of the Cornwall village where Dwight had served as a doctor in the public health care programme for a few years now. He took his key out, unlocked the door and entered, in deep thoughts. As he came upstairs he walked through the waiting room. Behind him he heard a voice calling:

“Good morning, doctor Enys.”

He turned around.

“Oh, good morning, Rosina. Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“There is fresh coffee in the coffee kettle”, she said and smiled.

Rosina Parks was one of his former patients, whom he now had employed as his secretary. She was a nice and hard-working girl, and it was no secret that she wished to be more than a secretary to him. But Dwight had never felt the same way about her, and especially not now. Not that he could have any hopes to ever meet Caroline again, and even if he did, he’d never knew what to say to her anyway. Still, his heart was way ahead of his head, and this morning’s surprise by limo was enough to get his emotions running again. 

He got into his room and shut the door behind him, switched the computer on and hung his jacket on the chair before he sat down. He began, as every morning, by going through the list of today’s patients while sipping his coffee, but his mind was wandering and he found it hard to concentrate.

After a few minutes, he took up his smart phone and texted his best friend Ross. 

Dwight Enys 08.38 Wanna sup tonite?

He felt he needed some company, and besides, Ross moved in quite different circles than him, so maybe, just maybe, he would have some news about Caroline. Dwight hadn’t told his friend anything more than the basics of his encounter with her – the emergency that turned out to be about a dog – and Ross, of course, thought it was a hilarious story. Maybe he had noticed something more about Dwight’s way of speaking about it, because he had teased him a few times about her.

His phone buzzed.  
Ross Poldark 08.41 Nope sorry busy

Dwight sighed and put the phone on the desk beside the computer screen. He would have to just take control of himself, and all would be fine.

***

Two days later he was half through the morning’s list of patients when there was a sound on the computer screen, and a message showed up. Rosina had entered yet one more patient on today’s list, squeezing them in between some of the other appointments. Dwight sighed. He had a busy schedule already, and adding more patients to his list was not making it easier. Rosina was usually helpful, but sometimes it seemed like she didn’t quite manage to hold the fort. Annoyed he clicked the message to read the information, and immediately his heart jumped. The new patient was Caroline Penvenen! He had to look again to make sure he hadn’t been dreaming it up or misunderstood, but no, there it was, her name, clearly spelt out, and the note said only “Throat”. So, she had sore throat, then. But why would she come to him for such a thing?

There were two more patients to go before her, and he had to concentrate really hard to focus on them, because his mind kept running away to the new patient who was so unexpected. First a dog, then a sore throat, he thought. She mustn’t care very much about his time or how much other work he had to do. The troubles of his ordinary patients were often severe and long running, and they seldom would seek his attention for such a minor thing as a sore throat. Still, he could not make himself feel angry about it. Instead, he was strangely high in spirit, excited and restless. Luckily, the patients before her were some of his standard clients, whom he knew very well, and he could go through their routines and medicines without being too worried that he was missing something.

And so, finally, there she was. Sitting in the waiting room in her black tight jeans and a red jacket with at belt around her waist, and her blonde hair in a casual ponytail. He stood in the door and called out formally:  
“Miss Caroline Penvenen.”   
She looked up at him, smiled a little and got up. He held out the door for her, and then closed it behind him as he got in.  
“Please, have a seat”, he said and pointed with his hand towards the visitors’ chair.  
“Thank you”, she said and sat down.   
Dwight felt a bit uncertain as to how he would treat her, but he hid behind his role as a doctor, took his own seat beside the desk and looked into her beautiful, deep blue eyes.  
“So, miss Penvenen, it’s good to see you again”, he said (which was definitely not what he should say as a doctor, but it felt stupid not to acknowledge at all that they had met before) (or, indeed, that she had been on his mind every day since then). “How can I help you? You have a sore throat?”  
“Yes”, she said and touched her throat a little with her long fingers, a movement that made Dwight just a tiny bit dizzy, so he swallowed and tried to look at her with a very serious expression.   
“Okay, so what seems to be the problem?” he asked. “Does it hurt when you swallow?”  
“Yes”, she nodded.  
“For how long has it been going on?”  
“A few days”, she said. “And it has been getting worse every day.”  
“Have you had any fever?”  
“No.”  
He nodded, and tapped the information into the computer. Then he looked at her again.  
“I’m sorry, I just want to ask you … why didn’t you call doctor Choake?”  
There was an ever so slight blush on her cheek, which sent a flash of joy through Dwight’s heart, and she looked down on her hands, then back up at him with a mischievous smile.  
“I did call him”, she said, “but he only gave advice on the phone, things like I should rest and take a throat pastille. And I think … I think that it’s something else, really. It feels different than just a sore throat.”

Dwight passed his hands over his thighs. She was really a special girl. She looked so confident and self-assured, but still he could notice a certain tone of anxiety in her voice. She was really concerned. And she needed help. This made him feel good, in a way that almost made him feel ashamed about himself, since it’s not a very nice feature to rejoice in other people’s miseries. But if he really could help her with something, that would make him happy, not that she was in trouble, but that he could help. 

He rose and pulled his chair closer to hers until their knees touched.

“I need to examine your throat, of course”, he said, and she nodded. “Open your mouth, please.”

She did, and he placed his hands carefully around her neck, pulled the lamp a bit closer and directed the light correctly so that he would be able to see better. Touching her felt wonderful, and he had to concentrate hard in order not to be distracted by his urge to kiss her. 

“You did the right thing not to listen to doctor Choake”, he said after a minute or so. “I know what it is, and I can help you at once. Please wait here.”

He got up and went over to the cupboard and took out a few instruments and a pair of rubber gloves, that he put on. Then he went back to her, and asked her to open her mouth again.

“It might hurt a little”, he said, “but it will be over in seconds”.

She made no noise at all as he put the instrument in her mouth, and down into her throat, and pulled something out. Then he went to the sink and poured a glass of water for her.

“Please”, he said. “You can rinse your mouth there.”

She did, and then she sat down again. Dwight pulled the gloves off and sat behind the desk again, entering something on the computer screen.

“You will get better now”, he said.  
“What was it?” she asked.  
“When was the last time you had fish?” he asked.  
“Umm, I don’t know, three days ago, maybe.”  
He held up the pincer and showed her the fish bone, and she smiled.  
That smile was all the payment he could ask for. He knew he had other patients waiting just outside the door, and that he really had not the time to make her linger any more, but he just had to try to get something more out of this. Although her smile and her look into his eyes was saying more than words.

He smiled back at her, looking her in the eyes as warmly as he dared.

“So, how’s Horace?” he asked.


	3. Am I Interrupting You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline visits Dwight a second time, and disapproves of his clinic.

After her visit to his clinic, Dwight’s mind was occupied even more with Caroline Penvenen than he would have thought possible before he met her. It was impossible not to think about her, and still, he kept blaming himself for it just the same. It was obvious that she was way out of his league, and besides, he didn’t even have her number. Following her on social media made him feel a bit like a stalker, so he never dared to mark her photos with hearts or likes – and that made him feel even more embarrassed. 

He struggled with himself whether or not he would look up all her movies and watch them, and finally, he gave in. He spent a few nights fast forwarding through boring scenes in bad films – boring since she was not in them – smiling foolishly whenever he recognized her voice, or how she turned her head, or the lights in her hair. Then sighing again and shaking his head at his own folly. Why couldn’t he just fall for some average girl who would be the perfect doctor’s wife, nice and friendly and without too high expectations, someone who would share his values and be content with the little he earned, knowing that he did the right thing? He couldn’t care less about money, but he understood very well that if he wanted to win the heart of a rich girl, he would have to care about it.

Days passed by and became weeks, and he heard nothing more from Caroline Penvenen.

But a few weeks after her visit, he had a rather odd conversation with his best friend Ross, who had happened to meet Caroline at a big party to which Dwight had not even been invited. 

Ross was passing by around lunch time, and came up to Dwight just to say hello. And to tease him a little, as it seemed.

“I ran into Caroline this weekend”, he said.

Dwight felt his face lighting up, but tried very hard not to let it show.

“Uh huh”, he murmured and pretended to be very occupied with something on his computer. “Where, then?”

“Her uncle had some sort of a party for her and her boyfriend Unwin”, Ross continued.

Dwight nodded, feeling his cheek turning hot. Note to self: Never fall in love with someone who already has a boyfriend, he thought.

“So, was it fun?” he asked as casually as he could manage.

“Nah”, Ross said and made a sour face. “I don’t think she’s in love with that guy, really. It doesn’t seem so. I think he is just using her for his own career, to be honest.”

Dwight looked up at him and pulled a hand through his hair.

“What do you mean?”

But Ross chuckled and threw a little piece of paper that he had crunched into a ball on Dwight. It hit him in the face, and he gave a start.

“Stop it!”, he said.

“Got you there, didn’t I”, Ross teased. “She asked about you”, he added with a tantalizing smile.

Dwight sighed, smiled and shook his head.

“You know”, he said, “sometimes I think I could happily wring your neck, Ross.”

Ross laughed again. 

 

Ross’s visit, or rather, what he had told him, spurred Dwight’s mind on for the next few days. He knew about Unwin, of course – although nothing was official between him and Caroline, the magazines and the gossip blogs were all quite certain of the art of the relationship between the model-actress and her manager. But if Ross’ observations at the party were true – and Ross was quite a good judge of character, Dwight thought – then … well, then she needed to be free of that horrible sickly-sweet bloke. 

A few days later, he was having a short lunch break and was looking through his e-mail when there was a sharp knock on his door. 

“Come in, Rosina”, he said without looking up.

But when the door opened, there she stood, Caroline, taller and blonder and prettier than ever. Dwight got up so quickly that he knocked over his chair. Embarrassed he turned around to raise it again, and his cheek were burning red.

“Oh, hi, hello Caroline, do come in … what a surprise to see you”, he mumbled as he put the chair in place.

She smiled, a big, and very amused smile, as she stepped into his room.

“Am I interrupting you in your work?” she asked.

“No, no, not at all”, he said quickly, and finally dared to look into her eyes.

There was a second or two when neither of them said anything, their eyes locked, hearts beating and cheek blushing ever so slightly. Dwight wasn’t sure what to say, or indeed why she was here, but he finally got himself together enough to say something, and at exactly the same moment, Caroline, too, began to talk, which made them both a bit embarrassed, and they giggled.

“I was going to ask, what brings me the honor?” Dwight said, having collected himself enough. 

"And I was going to say that I never paid you, last time”, Caroline said. “So, I have come to settle the bill.”

She lifter her chin a little in a gesture that Dwight remembered from the first time they had med. It was her way of marking that she would not accept to be refused.

Dwight smiled and shook his head.

“There’s really no need for that”, he said. “It was such a little thing, and since we are … or at least we are almost … friends, or, at least, we have met before …”

He bit his tongue. What was he trying to say? Why shouldn’t she pay, she, who could afford it, when others, who had much less, were forced to pay at least a part of their fee? The only reason was because he wanted to be nice to her, and wanted her to like him.

She gave him a searching look. 

“I never paid for your treatment of Horace, either”, she said.

He shrugged.

“I am not a vet, so I don’t mind. I hope he got better quickly, though.”

“He did.”

“Good, I am glad.”

She looked around the room; a rather poorly decorated doctor’s room, with the most basic furniture, a cupboard and a shelf for medical supplies.

“Well, how much was it?” she asked. “No offence, but you do seem to need all you can get here.”

He looked at her and couldn’t help frowning a little. That was not a very nice comment, in fact, it was rude, and he was a bit offended. He straightened his back and looked her in the eyes.

“Thank you, but I have all need, here. This clinic is good enough for my patients, and it is good enough for me.”

She laughed a little, as though she didn’t realize the turn the conversation had taken, and the sudden loss of admiration in Dwight’s voice.

“If your patients cared enough to work hard I’m sure they would manage to pay for a better clinic”, she said.

She looked around the room once more, then at Dwight, with the same bright smile as before.

She really has no clue what she is saying, he thought. He swallowed, put his hands behind his back and cleared his throat. 

“My patients are working very hard, I assure you”, he said in a deep and instructing tone. “They can’t help that they are not as fortunate as … others. But they…”

“I hear you are also volunteering down at the clinic for the homeless and the EU-migrants”, she interrupted in a challenging tone. “Do you really think that it is a good thing? The more you help them, the more people will come here.”

Dwight raised his eyebrows in surprise. She smiled widely at his astonishment.

“Do I shock you, dr. Enys?” she said.

He shook his head.

“No”, he said. “Many people talk that way. But if you were unemployed, or homeless, or had to beg for a living, maybe you would think it a good thing if others tried to help, don’t you think?”

She took a little turn around the room, and said: “Well, but I’m not, I’m rich and privileged, so I don’t have to care, do I?”

Dwight just couldn’t believe it. His emotions were a chaos in his chest. Was it true, could it be real, that this person, whom he had admired for quite some time now, even had thought himself to be in love with, was so completely shallow and out of compassion? Was she made out of stone on the inside? Were all those things that he had seen in her eyes only projections of his own imagination? The disappointment was hard, and he felt almost dizzy.

Slowly, he sat down on the edge of his desk, pulled his hands over his face and sighed.

“I’m sorry, but my lunch break is over now”, he said in very low voice. “My patients are waiting for me, and I’m very busy.”

She gave him a long look.

“How much do I owe you?” she asked again.

“Nothing. Nothing at all. Just, please… I don’t mean to be rude to you, but please, I have to go on with my work.”

She looked at him, but he walked around his desk, sat down on his chair and started to log on to his computer.

Without another word, she turned around and left the room.

 

Two days later, Dwight arrived at the clinic for the homeless for his weekly volunteer night. As soon as he arrived, the director came up to him, her eyes radiant with joy.

“Doctor Enys”, she exclaimed, “have you heard the wonderful, wonderful news?” He smiled as he hung up his jacket and shook his head. “We have received a large donation to our clinic”, she said and clapped her hands together in delight. “Can you imagine? 50 000 pounds sterling!”

“What!” Dwight burst out. “How amazing! Who is it from?”

The director held out her hands in a gesture of honest wonder.

“That’s the strange thing”, she said. “I have no idea! It was an anonymous donor. Can you imagine?”

Dwight looked at her and smiled, still totally confused by this wonderful news.

“I have never heard of anything like it”, he said. “It is usually some company or somebody who wants to improve their reputation. But who could do such a thing and not wanting to be known?”

The director gave him a quick hug, and then ran off to tell some other volunteers who had just arrived. Dwight pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Ross.

Dwight 19.47 Hi, have you donated to the charity recently?

Of course, he didn’t think it was Ross, who always seemed to be in need of more money himself rather than being able to give to others, but he knew that Ross had a lot of wealthy friends, and so he thought Ross might have a clue as to who it could be.

Ross 19.48 Congrats on the donation  but i’m not your secret benefactor, sorry  

Dwight snorted and went into his examination room, nodding absent-mindedly at the people already sitting in the waiting room. There was a certain smell in this room, the kind you get from many people, who have not had the chance to take a shower for a while, or to wash their clothes. Dwight was quite used to it, but it still always gave him the same feeling of empathy. 

He turned on the computer in the room, and as it was starting he sent another text to Ross.

Dwight 19.49 whaddaya mean MY benefactor? Gotta go now, ttl

But as he gave a nod and a wave to the first homeless patient for the night to enter, a thought formed in his mind, and he couldn’t help but smiling stupidly. A wealthy benefactor, someone who knew about his involvement in this charity, and someone who owed him money… might it be her?


	4. It Was Nice To Meet You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwight and Caroline meet again and new misunderstandings arise.

The sun was rising over the town of Sawle, spreading a kind and forgiving light over the trees and houses, and shedding a faint glimmer of gold over the waves rolling on to the shore.

Dwight was awake, but still in bed. It was a fine autumn morning, perfect for running along the beach, or in the forest, as he used to do almost every morning, to keep fit and to clear his mind. But first, he reached for his phone, to scroll through the usual pages. He hated himself for it. This was a new habit, something he had never thought he would stoop to. He was the guy who had snorted at his friends for their occupation with social media, finding them uninteresting and childish. Now, here he was, scanning through all he could find just to get a glimpse of her, always eager to see a new picture of her, always disappointed when nothing new was to be found. And just as disappointed in himself for not being able to stop it. He had no right to wish for anything more from her than any other fan, and yet, he couldn’t make himself stop dreaming. 

Still in bed, while his eyes were resting at the latest picture of Caroline as the cover girl of some fashion magazine, his mind went back to their last encounter. After the enormous donation to the charity for the homeless where he was volunteering every week, a donation by someone anonymous, he had decided to go and see her. He had taken his bike all the way out to Killewarren, and had had the great luck to meet her in the hallway beside the rose garden. He still smiled at the memory. 

She had teased him, of course, when he had thanked her for the money. 

“Why do you think it is me? I don’t give a thing about some homeless people”, she had said.

And he had been confused at first, but then he had caught that sparkle in her eyes, as if it were all a great joke, and he had laughed and shook his head.

“I knew it was you”, he had said.

And she had giggled, showing him her lovely smile.

“You see, now I’m the one on top”, she had said, and he had given her a wry look.

“Is that how you like it with your men?” he had said, knowing he was stepping over a line.

She had given him a stern look and raised her chin in her typical way.

“That’s rude”, she had said.

Her voice had been steady, but in her eyes, he had seen something else, an insecurity, the question that she had seemed to ask every time they had met – do you not like me? And his emotions had gotten the better of him, he hadn’t been able to control them. He had blamed it on the scent from the rose garden, on her red lipstick, on the sun in her hair, on the depth of her eyes.

So, with a much deeper voice than he had intended, a much more honest one, he had said:

“I like you very much too.”

And there they had stood, her smile growing serious, him looking at her lips, wanting to reach out and touch her, put a hand to her waist and pull her close to him …

And it would have happened, he was sure of it, had not Unwin arrived at that very moment, together with their old so-called friend George, the banker, a man whom Dwight found it hard to put up with in any circumstance, and ever so much more at this particular moment. 

He had taken half a step backwards, feeling his cheek burning, almost as if he had been caught doing something wrong, and he had noticed the same reaction in Caroline’s face. They had shared one more look, a look of mutual understanding and secrecy, and it had made Dwight’s heart jump for joy. 

Now he kept going back to that moment in his mind over and over again, searching in all those pictures that same look, without finding it – which somehow made him happy at the thought that it was a private gaze, something beyond what she would show her fans and followers, something that was only for him…

But time had gone by, weeks had followed upon weeks, and they had not met. Caroline was back in London, or travelling around the world for her work, and Killewarren was empty and uninteresting. His life went on as it always had, nothing had changed, and yet he now found it hard to be content with the things that had always given him joy and a sense of meaning.

He sighed, pulled his hand through his hair and got up. It was time to stop dwelling in fantasy land and return to reality. He jumped into his trainers and got out of his house, running down to the beach and back, filling his lungs with the salty air of the sea and his mind with the sound of the waves.

After a quick breakfast of toast and coffee, he mounted his bike and rode down to the village center. The high street was busy with people on their way to work, and the market place was about to open for the days commerce. 

As he turned around the corner to the side street where his clinic was, suddenly he stopped and got off the bike. It was impossible, but yet it happened. There she was! Dwight felt his face lighting up in a big smile, and at that very moment Caroline noticed him as well. She hurried the few steps left up to him, where she stopped and smiled widely. Dwight thought his heart was going to jump out of his body for beating so wildly. The crisp morning air had given Caroline’s cheek a brush of color, and her eyes were sparkling with joy.

“Hi”, she said with that soft, lovely voice of hers. “It’s so good to see you! How are the homeless in Sawle?”  
Dwight smiled at her, feeling his heart beat even faster, enjoying every detail of her appearance – her blond hair that fell softly down over her shoulders, the same red jacket that she had worn when she came to his clinic, her sunglasses that she had pushed up on her forehead as she had seen him, the big purse from which her pug Horace was looking up with his frowning dog face. Dwight smiled and smiled until his cheek felt as if they would burst, and he grasped the handlebars of his bike.

“They’re pretty much the same, thank you”, he said. “We’ve had a busy time redecorating and refurnishing the place, and have been handing out bags of food and clothes lately, for the upcoming winter.”

She smiled, and Dwight thought once again about the last time they had met, how close they had been to actually kissing, and how lovely that would have been. Now, here she was, and with her all his hopes and anticipations, that started to cause an emotional havoc within him. He couldn’t kiss her in the street, obviously. And besides, there was still Unwin.

“Oh”, she said, smiling as sweetly, “but no other celebrities passing by, whom you could tug on the heart strings to give big donations?”

Dwight felt his smile fading away and his heart sinking. She was teasing, as always, but he didn’t know how to respond to it. He felt accused, as if he had done something wrong. Her way of joking was never easy for him to understand, it only made him feel like a fool. Probably, because he was one. Dwight looked down at his hands, the back up at her, and said:

“It was nice to meet you. See you around.”

As he started to walk past her, she put out her hand and stopped him, with a frown on her face.

“Hey”, she said, “we haven’t met for months, and this is all you have to say to me?”

He looked at the ground, then gave her a quick look.

“Yeah, whatever”, he said.

“What? So, being polite isn’t quite your cup of tea, then, is it?” she said, in an upset tone of voice.

He looked her straight in the eyes.

“Nor yours, it seems”, he said. “Bye.”

He could feel her eyes following him when he passed her and turned off the street into the entrance of his clinic. 

Out of all imaginable outcomes, this must have been the worst possible. Dwight almost felt sick, as he locked his bike and went up the stairs. He didn’t even look at Rosina, just murmured something unhearble at her jolly “Good morning, there’s coffee in the kettle for you!”

He closed the door behind him, threw himself in his chair and put his head in his hands. “I am the most stupid guy in the universe”, he thought to himself.


	5. I Know You Don't Like Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline apologises for last time.

It was already late when Dwight hurried down the stairs from his examination room, and he put his jacket on as he was going. He unlocked his bike, and pedaled as quickly as he could along the street. In five minutes his consultation hours at the charity clinic for the EU-migrants and the homeless was about to start, and it was on the other side of town. Not that it was a big town, but still. Dwight didn’t like to be late.

But as he turned on to the high street, he almost ran straight into the back of a tall, blond girl with a red woolen jacket, and he had to stand on the breaks so hard that he almost lost his balance. The balance of his heart was already lost, at the first sight of her. 

Caroline turned around with a short, “Oh!”, but then she saw who it was, and she smiled. Dwight felt his heart jumping, but at the same time he was strangely sad. Their last meeting had not been very successful – indeed, after her visit to his clinic he had decided to put all thoughts about her behind him. It was hard, of course, and he hadn’t managed to stop himself from regularly checking out her Instagram yet, but it was his intention to stop. Soon.

He gave her a quick look, put his foot back up on the pedal and murmured a short, “sorry”, and was about to head off again. But Caroline put her hand very lightly on his arm and said:

“Hi, I thought I would run in to you here.”

Dwight nodded, and tried to avoid looking into those deep blue, sparkling eyes. It was doomed. He couldn’t resist her! He sighed and tried to get a grip on himself.

“Yeah, sorry, but I’m late for my volunteering time, gotta go”, he said.

He was about to get up on his bike once again, but Caroline, with a new eagerness in her voice, quickly said:

“I’m sorry that I hurt you last time we met.” 

Dwight frowned a little, and gave her a longer gaze. What was this sudden change of attitude? Was she teasing again? But no, she looked honest, and a little anxious, as if it actually mattered to her how he would respond. Maybe his astonishment was too apparent, because she pouted her lips a little and said:

“You’re really that surprised?”

Dwight looked down on his hands clutching the steering rod of his bike. He was still in a hurry, but suddenly it didn’t matter anymore. He was on his way, of course, he would go there, but the world had just turned over, and he couldn’t help it. 

Cars and bikes were passing by on the busy high street, and people who tried to get past them on the narrow side walk gave them annoyed looks. Above them, the sky was growing dark blue, with only a welt of light above the roof tops, and the air was humid and cold. Caroline shivered a little, and it gave him a rush of wanting to put his arms around her to make her warm.

Dwight took a deep breath, looked her in the eyes once again, and said:

“I really need to get going. My consultation hours at the charity clinic actually start, like, now.”

She nodded.

“I’m going in the same direction”, she said. “Can I walk with you for a bit?”

Dwight stepped off his bike, leading it to his right and seeing her in the corner of his eye on the other side. He was in a hurry, but this was happening outside of time, this was an alternate reality, and he had to go along with it. 

If only he’d known what to say! They walked on in silence for a while, but not the kind of silence that is full of mutual understanding or a deeper sense of closeness. This was an awkward, stupid silence, filled with things that ought to be said, if he could just manage to get them out. Still, he didn’t quite dare to believe that she wasn’t just teasing him again. He was so used to feeling like a total moron around her, that now he couldn’t even say the most ordinary things. It was unbearable, yet, there was no way out of it.

Dwight could hear Caroline give a deep sigh, and he turned his head to look at her. She was walking with her eyes fixed on the pavement, and she seemed sad. 

Finally, Caroline broke the silence.

“Look”, she said, “I know you don’t like me…”

Dwight gave a start. Here it was, the question that had been lingering between them since their very first encounter in the hotel, the spark in her eyes. And this was what he had communicated to her – the very opposite of his true feelings! He shook his head. His blood was running wild in his veins, hammering in his temples. He felt almost as if the ground was opening before him and he was falling down, falling and falling… He had never been very good around girls, but at least he had had a girlfriend before. He wasn’t a complete idiot, even though he acted like one right now, and this was the moment when he had to prove it. He swallowed.

“I don’t like you?” he said. “I’m following you on your social media, even though I really hate those, just to see your face, and your smile, and I’m watching your movies just to hear your voice, and – oh, I sound like a stalker, don’t I? – and then there’s Unwin, of course, which I find unbearable, and I haven’t been able to focus on my work for months, because I’ve been wishing so hard to meet you again… does that mean that I do NOT like you?”

Caroline had stopped, still with her eyes focused on the paving stones, so he stopped, too. She kept her hands in her pockets, and her long hair fell down around her face so he couldn’t see her eyes, only the tip of her nose, and her lips. She wasn’t smiling. Dwight took a deep breath, and felt the chilly air fill his lungs. He was calmer now, although his pulse was still high. Now she knew, and there was nothing he could do to change that. 

Without looking at him, with a rather quiet voice, she said:

“Do you like to run? I go for a run every morning in the woods of Killewarren. I’ll be there tomorrow at eight.”

Then she looked up at him, very quickly, turned around and walked back in the same direction from which they had come. Dwight followed her with his eyes, feeling a strange sensation in his chest, a combination of wild joy and deep fear. He saw her waving her hand at a taxi. It stopped, she stepped into the car, and she was off. 

Dwight felt a wide grin spreading on his face, as he mounted his bike and pedaled as hard as he could down to the charity clinic.


	6. I've Never Been To California

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwight and Caroline meet in the woods of Killewarren.

The sun was rising when Dwight mounted his bike the next morning, his heart pounding and his cheek burning. It was a long ride out to Killewarren, and he didn’t want to go too fast, since he needed to have some stamina left for running. Running with Caroline – could it be true? He couldn’t wipe the grin off his face, and he couldn’t help pedaling much faster than he had intended to, just out of excitement.

The morning air was crisp and chilly. Dwight filled his lungs and enjoyed the scent of wet grass and the salty sea air.

The road took him past his friends’ house, and when he cast an eye towards their garden, he saw Demelza on her way out for the day’s work. Smiling, he turned around and went up to her. She looked surprised and gave him a short but warm hug.

“Dwight!” she said. “What are you doing here at this hour?”  
He tried to look as indifferent as he could, but his big smile gave him away.  
“I’m going out to Killewarren”, he said, “I’m going running …”  
“With Caroline?” Demelza filled in eagerly.

He nodded, and grinned again. She smiled, too, looking very happy for him. Dwight had never spoken to her about his emotions, nor really with Ross. Ross had been teasing him a little, but probably understood much more than he had said.

Dwight shook his head a little, not sure what to say about it. He felt ridiculous to believe that his feelings would be reciprocal, yet, he could not stop himself from hoping.

“I don’t really think anything is coming out of t”, he said apologetically. “I mean, she’s an heiress, and a celebrity, and I’m just …”

“…as lowly as a waitress?” Demelza said.

He laughed. The story about his wealthy and noble friend Ross who had married a waitress, a simple girl without any education, had been a bit of a shock to some people when it happened a while ago, but now that everybody had come to know her, she had earned their respect, and no one questioned their love anymore. 

Did she really suggest that his love for Caroline was comparable to that of Ross and her? That it in fact was possible?

He nodded.

“We’ll see”, he said. “It’s just a morning run.”

She waved and started to walk down the street to the bus stop, and Dwight continued on his way towards the woods.

The woods around Killewarren were vast, and as he turned off the main road onto the smaller one leading in among the trees, he started to wonder where exactly it was that they were to meet. Suddenly he felt brainless, that he hadn’t asked her more specifically. He slowed down and rode at a slow pace. The road was graveled and there was a crunching sound from the wheels. Birds were singing in the trees, and the cool air was fresh with the fragrance of lush trees and flowers. The colors of the leaves were starting to shift in red and orange, and the early morning sun shed pure gold over the tree tops. The beauty was breathtaking, and Dwight was glad that he was not in a hurry.

Then, suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something bright in between the tree trunks, and his heart took a leap. Yes, there she was, standing little bit further down the road under a huge oak tree.

She was wearing black training pants and a cerise top, rather loosely fitting but also short enough to show a glimpse of her waist. She had her hair in a ponytail and wore a cap. Dwight gulped and turned off the road, pulled his bike up to a tree and locked it. Then he looked at her, smiled, and pulled a hand through his hair – he felt a little bit sweaty after the ride, and probably because he was suddenly flustered at the sight of her, at the reality of meeting her for real after so much time of longing and dreaming.

He took a few steps closer to her, but stopped before he was there, and nodded as a greeting. She was looking at him, without saying anything, and she, too, looked different, not as self-assured as she used to.

Dwight took a deep breath and looked around him, at the branches and the flowers, then back at her. He ought to say something, anything really, like “How are you?” or “So, where do you use to run?” or anything at all, something that would make the situation less awkward. But her gaze was deep and honest, searching for something in him. He shrugged.

“I have no idea what I’m doing here”, he managed, almost immediately feeling silly for saying such a stupid thing.

She lifted her chin a little, a gesture that he had come to know very well by now, and it made him happy and worried at the same time.

“Then you’ll be glad to hear that I’m leaving today”, she said. “I have signed a contract for a Hollywood movie, and I will be away for at least seven months. Uncle Ray will be very pleased to be rid of me for a while.”

Dwight laughed a little, then sighed and nodded. He looked to the ground, then back up at her, wanting to say something. But as so often all he managed was another goofy smile.

Caroline narrowed her eyes and took a step closer to him, as if she was scrutinizing him, trying to figure him out.

“Tell me”, she said, “who is Dwight Enys? In your sick room, you seem calm and confident, but when we meet elsewhere you are so hesitant.”

Her gaze was open and honest, although her voice was teasing. There was no more time for games between them. Dwight cleared his throat.

“A man completely without money”, he said. “I never had much to start with, and what I had was spent on med school. Besides, I have never really been around women much, except as patients. So, if you come to me with a sore throat” – he smiled, and she smiled, too – “I know what to do, but when I meet you anywhere else, like in a fancy hotel lobby, or even out in the street, I don’t know what to say, and when you tease me and laugh at me, which you tend to do a lot, which is completely comprehensible, I just become tongue tied and foolish.”

He stopped and took a deep breath. Caroline took a step closer to him, looking eager and empathic.

“Poor Dwight”, she said. “Do I really seem so cool and unapproachable to you? I’d be worthy of an Oscar! It’s all just an act, you know. I have been a model since I was fourteen, and I have learnt to hide my true feelings and to put up an attitude towards everyone, in order not to be hurt. There are so many people who try to use you, in that business, and you become an object for other people’s ambitions and desires. You say that you know women only as patients. Well, strange as it may seem to you, although I have had a few affairs, I have never known true love.“

Dwight felt his heart pounding wildly. He swallowed, looked down quickly, then back up at her. Her blue eyes were fixed on him, and they were full of anxiety and anticipation at the same time. 

He hesitated, but not for long.

“Would you like to know?” he asked.

Dwight took the two steps up to her, focusing on her red lips, and knowing that he could not wait for another second. Finally, his lips found hers, his nose touched hers, and he didn’t dare to move, just feeling his blood rushing through his body, a sensation of exhilarating joy rising within him, and at the same time the tenderness at the softness of her lips, her scent, her nose tip against his cheek.

Suddenly he withdrew, as if he came back to himself, realizing what he had done. He looked her in the eyes, bashful, smiled shyly and said;  
“Now, no doubt you hate me.”

She kept looking him in the eyes, all serious, and said quietly:  
“And now, no doubt I hate you.”

A few seconds passed, and the Earth had stopped circling around the sun and instead circled around her eyes. 

Then she sighed, smiled, and said;

“Except, I don’t.”

He laughed, and reached out for her, finally daring to put his hand at her waist and pull her closer, and tried to kiss her again, but the cap was in his way and poked him in the eye. She laughed and pulled it off, and threw it on the ground. Then she put her arms around his neck, and finally they kissed again. He felt her soft lips opening a little, and he met the tip of her tongue with his. It sent a shiver down his spine, and a joy so strong it almost shook him.

They both smiled as they eventually pulled away a little, and then suddenly Dwight gave a start.

“What about Unwin, then?” he said, almost upset.

Caroline looked at him as if she didn’t understand.

“What about him?” she said.

“Well, when will you tell him? Will he still go with you to Hollywood?”

She frowned a little, as if she didn’t quite understand.

“Um, no, he’s just my manager, you know”, she said. 

Then she smiled as if she understood.

“You never believe those crazy things they write in the papers, do you?”

Dwight sighed a little out of relief, shook his head and laughed.

“Actually, I did”, he said. “But I’ll be thrilled if you tell me I shouldn’t.”

“You shouldn’t”, she said, and swiftly let her lips touch his again.

Then she looked him in the eyes, and said:

“I’ve really got to go, now, I need to get to the airport soon.”

Dwight quickly looked at his watch, and yelled:

“Holy cow! Is that the time?”

This made Caroline laugh so hard she got tears in her eyes, that she tried to dry off in a lady-like manner, without too much of a success.

“What time do you start?” she asked.  
“Twenty minutes ago”, he said, looking both stressed out and very happy.

He touched her chin, and said:  
“How will I bear seven months?”

Then he took out his phone, and said:

“I don’t even have your number. Give it to me now! And what is your Skype name?”

She told him, and they added each other in all media they had. 

“Lucky thing we don’t live in the 18th century and have to rely on letter writing”, she said.

He nodded.

“Or horse and carriage. Who knows, I might even be able to have a vacation some time during the next seven months or so. I’ve never been to California.”


	7. Trust Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline comes home from California for the holidays, and sneaks out with Dwight from her Uncle's official Christmas party.
> 
> Published on Tumblr for the prompt, “I need you to trust me”.

The full moon is casting its mysterious glow over the frozen beach, where the icy waves are rustling against the cold sand. Their breaths turn to fumes in front their mouths, as Caroline and Dwight are walking slowly hand in hand towards the water brow, carefully placing their feet not to stumble on the bumpy sands. It is cold, and Dwight shrugs a little and squeezes Caroline’s hand harder. They go as close as the can without wetting their feet, then remain standing, looking out over the dark ocean before them, that is glistening in the moonlight, listening to the sounds of the sea, inhaling deeply the chilly air, so cold that it shakes their lungs.

Dwight doesn’t bear to wait too long until he turns towards her and draws her close, embracing her closely and kissing her. Their eyes meet, and they both smile.

“So, this was your great plan”, he says, and she raises her eyebrows.

“Yes”, she says simply. “Isn’t it good enough? Or would you rather have stayed at Uncle Ray’s Christmas party?”

He chuckles and fondles her nose tip with his – they are both cold, and it makes them giggle before they kiss again.

Instead of staying in California over Christmas, Caroline managed to get some vacation and could come back to Cornwall for the holidays. She was quick to invite Dwight to visit her, and to introduce him to her uncle – she knew that he would not be thrilled, but still, he would be even more hurt if she kept the secret of her relationship with the local doctor from him, and if he would have had to find out about it through rumors or, even worse, the press. Grudgingly, he had allowed Caroline to bring her new friend to his official Christmas party, and Dwight had been eager to come and try to make a good first impression.

Caroline, however, was less interested in making impressions, and more so in having time alone with Dwight. Her Uncle’s parties were dull functions with his old friends and business connections, and Caroline had spent her upbringing smiling politely at boring old men and sour women, and wishing for the evening to pass as quickly as possible, finding more and more creative excuses to leave early or to sneak away in secret places where no one would find her. She had also developed a flair for answering back with a certain bite, in order to keep her distance and to be left alone. Uncle Ray always wanted to parade her in front of his guests, and she had never liked it.

This year, however, finally she had the perfect excuse. So, as Dwight had been charming his way down the great hall with his dazzling smile, his kind eyes and his soft voice – “Yes, Mrs. Russell, a slight ache in the leg could certainly be the sciatica, but that usually appears more acute. You are welcome to the clinic at any time if you want a proper examination” – Caroline had been plotting their escape. And just as anxious as Dwight was to please her dear old uncle, she was keen to get them out of the house as soon as possible.

When they had finally greeted everyone in the room – which had taken a substantial part of the evening – she had slipped her hand under his arm and pulled him towards the back door.

“Where are you taking me?” he had whispered as she had led the way through a dark hallway just on the other side of the wall of the great hall.

She had giggled.

“Shh, I need you to trust me”, she had answered, taking his hand and tiptoeing towards a door, that led them straight out into the cold night.

Through the darkness, only helped by the light of the torches of their smartphones and that of the full moon, they had managed to find their way to the road and had taken the walk down to the beach.

Now, he kisses her again.

“You are a wild one”, he smiles, and then he shivers. “But it is freezing. We need to go inside before we’re getting hypothermia.”

“But you liked it, right?” she asks, with a sudden hint of insecurity in her voice, the same uncertain glimpse in her eyes that he saw the very first time they met, when he came to her hotel room for the Horace emergency.

He loves it, it makes his heart melt despite the icy air, and he tightens his arms around her even more.

“I do”, he says.

They take the route back up through the village, hoping to catch a late bus back towards Killewarren, but the last one has already passed.

“Now, you must be the one to trust me”, Dwight says, takes her hand and starts to lead her down a narrow side street.

“Where are we going?” she asks, but he only gives her a secretive smile and doesn’t answer.

By the side of the road is a small cottage, lying all to itself, looking dark and neglected. Caroline hesitates, but Dwight steps up to the old wooden door and opens it. He shines with the torch on his mobile again, showing her around in the old room. The air is stale and cold, cobweb hanging in the corners, and one window broken.

“What is this place?” Caroline asks.

“It’s an old cottage, and it is said that a doctor used to live here, once”, he explains. “Nowadays, it’s nothing. For a while it was used for storage, and now it belongs to the neighboring family.”

“Are we not trespassing?” she whispers, and he feels her hand squeezing his a little harder.

“No, no worries. I know the owners, and they don’t use it. They have talked about knocking it down, actually, but I dream of buying it and restoring it. Here, come!”

He pulls her a bit further in and closes the door.

“There are some logs in here, I think”, he mumbles. “I thought we could make up a fire.”

She is blowing her hands to get her fingers warm as he arranges some pieces of wood, and searches through his pockets for a lighter.

“Darn it, I have nothing to light it with”, he says, as he gets up again. He shrugs, smiles and takes her in his arms again. “I guess we should get a taxi before your uncle thinks I have kidnapped you.”

Caroline smiles.

“What would you do with this old dump?” she says.

“Restore it to glory, of course, and live here”, he says, chuckling. “It once belonged to the town doctor, and it could serve that purpose again. With a modern touch, of course.”

“Such as electricity and running water?” she suggests with a wry smile, and he grins.

“I can very well imagine you as the town doctor”, Caroline says and puts her arms around his body, resting her cheek against his shoulder. He inhales the sweet scent of her hair. “You would be nice and kind and tend to all the miners and fishermen for free.”

“I would”, he says and kisses her head. “And I would be way too poor to be allowed to ever come near miss Caroline Penvenen, heiress of Killewarren. I can very well imagine you gliding around in crinolines and pretty dresses.”

She giggles.

“Oh, but miss Caroline Penvenen would be too independent to care for such odious conventions”, she smirks. “She would run away with the poor doctor as soon as she had the chance.”

He kisses her, a soft, delicate kiss, that turns deeper, and when he finally withdraws, they stand with their eyes locked into each other’s gaze for a little while.

“Will you let me escort you back home now, miss Penvenen?” he finally asks, his voice thick with emotion.

“Only if you will accompany me, doctor Enys”, she smiles back at him. “And stay with me.”

“Alright”, he says casually and starts dialing the number for a taxi.

“I want to snuggle up in the sofa under a blanket and watch a movie. I think I watch ‘Love Actually’ at least once every Christmas. Do you have a Christmas favorite movie?” she says.

He shrugs.

“’Planet of the Apes’?” he suggests, and she hits his arm.

“A Christmas movie, I said.”

“Oh, so … um … ’King Kong’?”

She rolls her eyes at him.

“Monkeys have nothing to do with Christmas”, she says in a voice that would be suiting when teaching a four-year-old.

“Oh, you mean it has to be about Christmas?” he says, and she rolls her eyes again. “‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’, then.”

“You are a hopeless case”, she concludes and kisses his cheek. “I think the taxi is here.”


End file.
